Wildfire
by PureGem
Summary: Delphine is the new girl in Bon Temps. Her past is something difficult for her to talk about and she is not as ordinary as she seems. Will she find someone that shares her past? Eric/OC
1. Ashes

**I do not own ****anything that as to do with True Blood or Charlaine Harris' books (because I don't think I'm capable of such GENIUS work!). The only thing that's mine is Delphine and the plot of this story.**

**ENJOY!**

**WILDFIRE**

Ch.1 Ashes

She'd finally finished packing all her boxes at 10h30 on a saturday night. Not that she was complaining. She really wanted to get the hell out of this town and it was the primary reason as to why she had spent the entire day packing. It would be so much easier when she'd finally get away from this place.

Delphine got up from her bed and grabbed the Sharpee on her nightstand. Scrawling the word _SHOES_ in big cursive letters on the cardboard box, she let herself fall back on her bed with a loud sigh. It was finally over. She could finally breathe. Having worked on packing all day, she pushed herself further up on the bed and kicked the box to the floor so she would have the space to herself.

''I can't wait to get out of here. This isn't working.'' She sighed again, closing her eyes. ''Great. I'm talking to myself.''

She opened her eyes again when she heard a faint ring. She when she recognized _MGMT's Electric Feel,_ she jumped off her bed in search of her cell phone.

''GOSH DARN IT!'' the room was full of boxes and she could swear it was coming from one of them. She must have dropped it in one of the box while she was packing.

Pulling up the sleeves of her oversize white flannel shirt, she made her way towards the ringing box hoping that she could answer it before it went to voicemail. She ripped the tape and dug in pushing aside her pyjamas to find her cellphone at the bottom of the box.

She flipped it open. ''Hello?''

''About time girly girl! You all packed? ''

Her friend Gwen was on the line and Delphine remembered that she promised her she'd go out with her before she left the next day.

''Yes, all packed. So where are we going?'' The only reason Delphine was going out was out of courtesy. She hated crowded places, especially clubs. If it had been for her, she'd have met her friends for a simple goodbye before leaving tomorrow and then she'd be gone. Not that she didn't love them. Quite the opposite. She just didn't want to be around people right now.

''I thought we could try that little vampire bar downtown. You up for it?''

Delphine froze and hesitated before answering. '' I feel like something quieter tonight.'' The LAST thing she needed right now was to be around vampires.

''Okay well let's go to Maddy's then. It's not too loud and we'll have some fun. The guys really want to see you before you leave tomorrow.''

''Ok.'' She finally said. ''That sounds nice. Give me 15 minutes and I'll be at your place.''

''Perfect! See you!''

''Bye.'' Delphine hung up. Fifteen minutes was all she needed to get ready and get to Gwen's place one block down the street.

She grabbed a nice sparkly top and a pair of clean jeans that she had purposefully not packed and went in the little bathroom adjoining her room to change and get ready. All she needed to do was let her russet hair loose from the tight bun she wore and they fell in loose waves over her shoulders and down her back. After playing with her hair until she was satisfied of the way they looked, she applied a little dark pencil under her eyes which made the green pop out even more and put blush on her cheeks. The whole process had taken 5 minutes and she knew that walking down to Gwen's place would take another 5 minutes. So if she did the math right, that gave her another 5 minutes to calm down and breathe.

_Come on Del.__ You can do this. It's only a night out. You'll be gone tomorrow. You won't have to come back. _

But the words seemed to mean nothing to her anymore. A tear strolled down her cheek and she wiped it away smudging her black pencil in the process.

''Great.'' Delphine shook her head, got up and reapplied some pencil before walking out of her room. She grabbed her brown cowboy boots and went outside. It was still warm and she was thankful for that.

After walking down for about a minute, she felt someone following her. Delphine stopped in her tracks and spun around. A tall man was staring at her from across the street. He was dressed all in black and was wearing a black cowboy hat. Delphine finally breathed out when she recognized him. He saluted her with his hat and she knew he was saying goodbye because he wouldn't be able to come by tomorrow when the sun would be out.

Delphine smiled at him and a second later he was gone. When she turned around to continue down the street, her heart felt a million times heavier and she felt like she was dragging herself to Gwen's house. She REALLY needed to get out of this town.

She finally reached Gwen's door after what seemed like hours and felt like she had drained most of her energy.

''HOLA GIRL!'' The tall skinny blond that opened the door jumped on Delphine.

''Hi Gwen.'' She hugged her back.

''You look so pretty! We're gonna have so much FUN! Tell me again why you gotta leave my sorry ass here and move to this little hick town?''

''Gwen… I told you before. I don't wanna talk about it.'' They made their way to Gwen's kitchen and sat down.

''This is because of that vampire right?

She frowned at her friend. ''He wasn't just some vampire. He was my friend!'' She shook her head when Gwen sighed.

''But he's dead. It doesn't mean that you have to leave!''

''You don't understand Gwen. You can't understand. This place doesn't feel right anymore. I gotta leave.''

''Whatever. Maybe you just need a change. But why are you moving over there?''

''I had family in Bon Temps. An aunt who passed away a year ago. She left her house to my mom and she can't bring herself to sell it to anyone. So I just thought it was a good opportunity.''

''As long as you invite me once in a while, we can have a girly night and watch movies with Brad Pitt, I forgive you.''

Delphine couldn't help but smile. '' Of course. You're always welcome.''

'' OKAY then! Let's party!'' Next thing she knew, Delphine was dragged away from the kitchen by her friend.

* * *

The morning after wasn't so easy. Gwen had insisted that she take a shot of tequila to celebrate her last night in Dallas. But one shot led to two and then to three and so on. So now, Delphine was packing the back of her pick-up truck with a mild headache wondering why the hell she had agreed to go out last night.

Delphine did not look back when she left Dallas and drove until she saw a ''Welcome to Louisiana'' sign. She stopped at some shabby diner and thanked the lord that it was almost empty. This place was full of little towns and when an outsider arrived, everybody knew. Delphine wasn't especially subtle with a pick-up truck full of boxes and was grateful that no one bothered her at the diner.

After her short stop at the diner, Delphine drove until she reached Bon Temps. For some reason, the low trees hanging over the dirt path she was driving, the humid air and the smell that entered the car through the open window made her feel at home and peaceful. She smiled , something she hadn't done in a while, a kept going until she turned a corner and saw another path. It led to a beautiful white house. Delphine was shocked. She had seen photos of her Aunt Maggie's plantation type home but she never knew it would look like this. It was big but not as big as some plantations she had seen on her way there, it had big white columns in front which made the white house look even bigger. The window shutters were green and the path leading to the house was surrounded by wild flowers and weeping willows.

When she parked her truck outside the house, Delphine took her time to examine her surroundings and realised that for the first time in a long time, she felt happy. She had a beautiful house to herself that was already all paid for which was more than she could say for most 25 year old girls she had met.

Unpacking went by very fast. All Delphine had to do was drop the boxes in the rooms where they would go. Her room was on the second floor of the house and her window gave on the front lawn where she had a beautiful sight of the path leading to the house. The house had four rooms on the second floor. She decided to take the biggest one for her room, the others would be used as an office, a guest room and her art room. The bathroom upstairs was big and Delphine couldn't wait to use the bathtub.

On the first floor was the kitchen, the dining room, a big living room and a second bathroom but this time with only a shower. There was also a small room at the back of the living room that she could use as storage or as an office.

Since her aunt had given everything to her family when she died, all her appliances were still there so Delphine didn't have to buy anything. Her mother had insisted that she take the house because she didn't want to sell it and she wanted it to stay in the family. She was an only child so this was something really important to her mother.

The sun was setting and Delphine heard the sound her belly made and she realised that she hadn't had anything to eat for hours. It was late and she doubted that she would find a grocery store opened at this time so she decided to try to find someplace decent to eat.

She drove for a while and when she waited for a car to pass at a STOP sign, she heard a couple of girls signing inside and decided to follow them. They were probably heading into town. Maybe she'd find a place to eat there.

After a while, they turned onto another path and Delphine saw a big illuminated sign that said Merlotte's. It looked like a decent enough place but there were a lot of cars parked out front and she was not in the mood for crowds but it was late and she doubted she'd find anything better.

Delphine parked next to a small yellow car and got out.

_Well, here I go._

**Oooookay! This is just the beginning. This chapter was really just an introduction to why Delphine moved to Bon Temps. Don't worry. You're all going to understand what's going o soon enough!**

**R&R! …. Please. ;)**


	2. Embers

Here's chapter 2 of Wildfire. Hope you like it.

Ch.2 Embers

Delphine walked to the door of Merlotte's and hesitated before going in. She could already hear people talking, signing and the loud music but she pushed the door anyway and walked in. Some people stopped talking and some didn't even look at her but Delphine stayed calm and walked to the closest booth before sitting down.

A pretty blond next to the bar was staring at her in a strange way and Delphine wondered if she had done something wrong. She looked liked she was concentrating on her and then she frowned as if there was something she couldn't understand. She said something to another waitress and walked towards Delphine's table.

''Hi!'' she smiled. ''You must be new around here. Haven't seen you before. Would you like something to eat?''

Delphine thought that Sookie was a little weird but she answered nicely. ''Yes I just moved to Bon Temps. Hummm… my name is Delphine.''

''Oh silly me! I'm Sookie! Are you the one who just moved into Msr. LaRoux' house?''

Delphine was surprised that she would know about her moving but this was a small town so she didn't make anything of it. ''Yes. Cecilia LaRoux was my aunt. ''

''Well I'm very sorry for your loss. She was a real nice lady.''

''Thanks… how did you know I moved there?''

'' Well, the Compton house is farther down your street. That's where my boyfriend lives. He saw you moving in.''

''Oh ok.'' Delphine looked at the menu one last time. '' What do you suggest on the menu?''

Sookie took out her pen and suggested the cheeseburger with fries. ''Ok then. I'll have that. Thank you Sookie.''

''You're welcome. I'll be right back.'' Sookie skipped off to the kitchen.

Delphine watched her walk away and then looked around. Merlotte's was a nice enough place. The people seemed to have fun and the ambiance was relaxed. A couple of minutes later, she saw Sookie come from the kitchen with her plate in her hands. She stopped to talk with a man that was leaning on the bar. Delphine smiled. The guy was really cute. He was wearing a green Merlotte's shirt and those jeans fitted him perfectly. When he looked up at her, Delphine blushed and looked away.

Seconds later, a plate was set down on the table and she looked up to see Sookie.

''You know, I was thinking, I could come by your place sometime and help you unpack if you want. It's difficult enough to move somewhere new and the least I could do is show you around. What do you think?''

Delphine was surprised but she had heard about the southern hospitality before and she was happy that Sookie offered. ''That sounds great.''

''Good! I'm free tomorrow if that's alright with you?''

''Sure. 10h00 sounds good?''

''I'll be there!'' she left and went back to the other clients. Delphine was glad that she'd made a friend. She needed to change her mind from Dallas and Sookie seemed to be a good person.

She was about to take a bite out of her hamburger when she saw someone sitting down at her booth. She put down her hamburger. ''Can I help you?''

The guy looked young and had dirty blond hair. He was wearing a grey Bon Temps football t-shirt and seemed very sure of himself.

''I'm sure you can. Name's Stackhouse. Jason Stackhouse.''

''Okay. Am I supposed to know who you are?'' Delphine wanted to laugh. The guy was absolutely gorgeous but she couldn't believe he thought he could get her with a couple of cheesy lines and a pretty smile. Of course guys always tried to get her attention. As a tall, athletic looking, tanned girl with long silky hair, Delphine was used to it.

He smiled at her. '' Did anyone ever tell you those freckles look damn cute on you?''

As she was about to answer, Delphine saw Sookie walk their way. ''Jason! What are you doing! Leave her alone. She ain't stupid enough to fall for your compliments and stop flexing! It's not impressing anyone.''

The guy named Jason looked at Sookie and then back to Delphine. ''Sorry. My sister can be a pain sometimes.''

Delphine started laughing. ''You guys are related? I never would've thought.''

Sookie glared at her brother. ''Jason…''

''Ok. Ok. I get it. I'm out.'' He shook Delphine's hand. ''Nice to meet you though.''

''Nice to meet you too.'' The guy walked away and winked at her before sitting down with his friends.

''Sorry about that. He can be persistent.''

''Don't worry about it. Sad to say, I'm used to it.''

''Well, I'm off in about ten minutes. Let me get you a drink and then I'll introduce you to some REAL people.''

''Haha! Good idea.'' Sookie let Delphine finish her meal and then signalled her to come at the bar. The cute man was behind the bar serving drinks so Delphine didn't hesitate and went at once.

''Everyone this is Delphine LaRoux.'' She turned to Delphine. ''It's LaRoux isn't it?''

''Yes. I took my mother's name when my father left us.''

''Ok. This is Sam.'' She pointed to the cute guy white the green shirt. ''He's the boss. But don't worry, he's quite nice.''

Delphine smiled and shook his hand. ''Nice to meet you Delphine. By the way, if you are ever looking for a job, we're one waitress short.''

The black girl next to him laughed. ''Come on Sam. The girl just moved here. Give her some time to settle in.''

''Well, I'm just saying, if you want a job…''

Delphine laughed. ''Actually I might take you up on the offer when I finish settling in. I could do with a little money if I want to survive.''

The black girl introduced herself. ''I'm Tara. And this is LaFayette.''

Delphine was surprised that she hadn't seen him before. LaFayette wasn't exactly what you would call inconspicuous. She liked him. He was different. After being introduced to everyone, Sookie took off her apron and they said goodnight before leaving Merlotte's.

''You know, I think Sam likes you a lot.'' Sookie said.

''What?''

''He doesn't just offer a job to every girl who walks in you know. I think he likes you.''

''Stop it!''

''Gosh Delphine! Are you blushing?''

''I certainly am NOT!'' she turned away from Sookie but she knew she had seen her.

''Oh you are blushing!'' she jumped around her so that she could see her face. ''Don't be ashamed. Sam's a good guy. I think the two of you would be good together.''

''Now I know you're trying to make me blush. But yeah, he looks like a good guy and damn those jeans.''

The two of them started laughing and when they finally stopped, Delphine had to wipe the tears rolling down her cheeks. ''Ha! That felt good. Haven't laughed like that in a long time.''

Sookie became serious again. ''What do you mean?''

The air around Delphine instantly became denser and she thought _Oh crap. Me and my big mouth again._

''Oh nothing… It's just, I've been through some stuff recently and it might have affected my decision to move here.''

Sookie put a hand on her shoulder. ''You know, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I mean, we barely know each other. But if you ever want to talk… I'm here.''

When Delphine looked up at Sookie, she sighed. ''It's fine. Actually sometimes it's easier to talk about it with people that you don't know very well.'' She leaned back on her car and Sookie did the same next to her. '' A friend of mine died recently. We were really close and I did not even get to say goodbye to him.'' She hesitated before continuing but decided that it would be better if she told Sookie the whole thing if she ever wanted to become friends with her. ''He was a vampire you see. I don't even know what happened to him really. I just got the news one day from a member of his entourage and that's it.''

_That's it, she thinks I'm batshit crazy. She's gonna run away soon._

Delphine decided it was better if she didn't stop now. '' I didn't have a lot of friends back home being a sympathizer and all, but the couple of people I did hang out with didn't understand what I was going through… what I'm still going through. It's difficult to explain what we had. He saved my life you know? That's how we met. And now, I can't help but feeling like there's a part of me that's missing and it hurts so much Sookie. It hurts.'' By now, Delphine was crying and when she started having trouble breathing because of the tears, she felt Sookie place her arms around her.

''Oh Delphine I'm so sorry. You'll be fine. We can get through this.''

Delphine sobbed and managed to get a few words out. ''Thank you.'' After a while, when she had calmed down, Sookie helped her into her car.

''Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?''

''No. It's okay. I'm fine now. But I'll see you tomorrow right? Maybe you can invite your boyfriend too. After all, he's my closest neighbour.''

''Well, were gonna have to wait until tomorrow night then.''

''Oh, he's not available tomorrow?''

''Well, more like he won't be able to make the trip to your place when the sun is out.''

For some reason, this made Delphine very happy. A vampire. At least she knew that Sookie understood what she was going through.'' Oh I see. It's fine. Let's make a change of plans. I'm inviting you both for diner tomorrow night. I'll make chicken for us and I'll buy a couple of TrueBloods for your boyfriend.''

''That sounds good. I'm sure Bill will be very happy.''

''It's settled then. I'll see you tomorrow night.''

''Okay. Be careful.''

''I will.'' Delphine closed her door and drove off. This whole friendship was very promising.

**TADA! Chapter 2 is over. But the really good stuff is coming in chapter 3 and you will understand all about Delphine's past!**


	3. Spark

Okay! This chapter is going to shed more light on Delphine's past.

**Ch.3 Spark**

That night was everything but easy for was very late when she came back from Merlotte's and she was glad to finally be alone with her own thoughts. As hard as it was to think about what had happened, the pain made her feel more alive than anything else.

It was hard to imagine that pain was just an emotion or a feeling. It felt more like the pain was alive inside of her. Like a boa constrictor just squeezing her heart until she thought it would break into a million pieces. Like she was walking around with a weight on her chest. Like everything and everyone around her was just passing through and they didn't matter.

For some reason, she did not feel safe that first night. When Delphine got back to her house, she made sure to check every single window and every door in the house and locked them. What she was afraid of she couldn't tell but she had a feeling that someone was watching her and it did not feel good.

By the time she was ready to go to bed, Delphine felt more restless than she had when she first came home. She decided to go back downstairs and get a glass of milk. She raised her foot to get down the stair and that's when she heard a crash outside her front door. Delphine lost her balance and fell down a couple of steps before she was able to grab the railing and stop. Her breathing was shallow and her right knee hurt like hell. She was absolutely terrified to move in case whatever was outside would hear her. To any outsider the scene might have looked hilarious but Delphine literally felt like her heart was about to jump out of her ribcage. When the sound coming from outside faded, she pulled herself up slowly and ran back to her room. Slamming the door behind her, she jumped on her bed and backed up until her back hit the headboard. Everything was silent again and she eventually risked taking a look outside from her window. She couldn't see anything except the big green trash can that had been on the small balcony was now on the ground like it fell down the three steps that led to the front door.

_Good Lord I'm stupid. Just a trashcan. A stupid trashcan._

But even seeing the trashcan in the grass didn't reassure her completely. Delphine laid down on the bed and closed her eyes to try to relax. The technique was effective because she woke up a couple of hours later and realised it was 3 in the morning. The feeling of being watched she had before was still there but for some reason she didn't feel scared anymore. This time she felt safe and it didn't take a long time for her to fall back asleep.

* * *

When she woke up in the morning, Delphine felt good again. It was 9h30 and she jumped out of bed to get breakfast and to begin unpacking the several boxes that were around the house. It took her all morning and most of the afternoon because she started packing some of the stuff that had belonged to her aunt. She wanted to give away most of it to charity but she kept some meaningful objects and souvenirs and stored them in the little room at the back of the living room.

When she was done with the cleaning and unpacking, Delphine was proud of the result. The house finally looked like it was hers. Remembering that she had invited Sookie and her boyfriend for a late supper, she ran upstairs to get changed and go to the grocery store.

Finding the grocery store wasn't very difficult. But now she had to meet everyone in town. Almost every single person she came across asked her if she was Cecilia LaRoux's niece that was now living in Bon Temps. And every time she answered yes, introduced herself, shook hands and exchanged pleasantries before continuing down the aisle with her heavy basket full of chicken, vegetables and a six pack of True Blood which made for some funny looks from some of the people she met.

By the time she was driving back, it was 16h30 and when she passed in front of Merlotte's she decided to stop since she would have plenty of time to make supper when she got home. If she wanted to be able to live here, she definitely needed a job. And Sam had offered didn't he?

The place was really calm and looked totally different when she walked in. There were only two other clients and they were both sitting quietly at different tables. Delphine cleared her throat and a woman with red hair came out from the kitchen.

''Hi there. You can take a seat and I'll be right over.''

Delphine hadn't met her before so she introduced herself. ''Oh sorry. I'm Delphine. I'm looking for a job. Do you think I could talk to the manager?''

''Oh Thank God missy! We're one waitress short and I cannot take another shift alone. Not that you can tell from today. There a show in town. Everyone is over there. The place is usually packed at this time. Come with me. I'm sure Sam will be able to take a couple of minutes to interview you.'' The woman who identified herself as Arlene as she dragged Delphine to Sam's office seemed absolutely thrilled that Delphine was looking for a job. And by the way she was talking about her nails (_9 out of 10 broken! Can you believe it!) _she needed a break.

Arlene opened the door to Sam's office without hesitation. ''Sam!''

He spun his desk chair around to face them and smiled when he saw Delphine. ''Arlene. What can I do for you?''

''Give her the job Sam. Please. We really need another waitress.'' She pushed Delphine further in the room. ''Please?''

Sam got up. '' I guess I could spare some time for an interview.'' He signalled for Delphine to sit down on a small chair and sat back down on his own to face her.

''Thanks Sam!'' Arlene smiled at Sam and went out of the room.

''So, Delphine right?'' Sam asked and Delphine nodded. ''Do you have any experience as a waitress?''

''Yes. I worked for a year at a small Italian restaurant in Dallas. I can give you their number if you want a reference.''

''It's okay. That won't be necessary. You know it can get pretty chaotic out there sometimes. Do you think you could handle it?''

Delphine laughed. ''Chaos is no problem… believe me.''

''Good. Cause I don't want you to burnout on your first day here.''

She smiled. ''Does that mean… that… I have the job?''

''Yeah. Of course. We desperately need a waitress, you have experience and you need this job. It's yours.''

It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulder. She wouldn't have to worry about money anymore. Delphine got up and shook his hand. ''Thank you! Thank you so much. When do I start?''

''Thursday at 4pm okay for you?''

''Of course! I'll be there. Thanks again.'' She made her way to the door and said goodbye to Sam. She saw Arlene in the kitchen and stopped. ''Thanks Arlene. I'm starting on Thursday.''

''Oh thank god! I'm so glad.''

''Anyway, I'll see you Thursday!''

''Ok good!''

Delphine left Merlotte's and drove back to her place. It was 5h15 and she had plenty of time to prepare the food. She decided to make pasta and vegetables salad with grilled chicken.

She felt weird just putting out the True Blood for Sookie's boyfriend. She had heard that some vampires knew how to make True Blood into ice cream or soup but she didn't know how. Sookie had said that the True Blood would be fine but she made a mental note to try to learn how to make those recipes.

By the time everything was ready, the sun had started to set and Delphine went up to her room to get dressed. This supper was very important to her if she ever wanted to make friends in this place and have a normal life again.

Delphine had just finished putting her hair up in a bun before she heard the doorbell. She ran downstairs and opened the door to find Sookie and her boyfriend.

''Hi Sookie! Come in.'' Sookie came inside.

''Wow, this is a very nice place. I had never seen inside of the house.''

Delphine thanked her and turned back to Bill. '' Oh my god I'm sorry.'' He was still standing on the front porch. ''Please come in.''

''Thank you.'' Said Bill before he was finally able to come inside the house. ''I'm Bill. It's nice to meet you.''

She shook his hand. ''Nice to meet you too.''

They made their way to the dining room and Delphine told them to sit down. ''Wow. You made all this?''

''Yes. I love cooking. This was easy.'' She turned to Bill. ''I bought True Blood. I thought you might be hungry too.''

''That is really thoughtful. Thank you.''

The meal was excellent and the three of them talked about a lot of things. Sookie told Delphine how she met Bill and what had happened since then. She knew about René and the maenad. Delphine couldn't believe what had happened in this small town. The only reason that Sookie had told her was because she knew that Delphine would be able to handle the truth. After all, she had vampire friends back in Dallas. She proceeded to tell Delphine about how they had infiltrated the Fellowship of the Sun to save a vampire friend but Delphine knew she was leaving out some details. Like why would they have sent Sookie to infiltrate? What made her so special that they would send her? Delphine started thinking about the whole thing and was suddenly brought back to reality when she heard something that Sookie said.

''What?'' Delphine blinked. ''I'm sorry I missed that last sentence.''

Sookie smiled. ''I said, that the man who was guarding the room came back and tried to attack me but then Godric saved me.''

It felt like someone had stabbed her straight through the heart. ''Godric?'' Delphine started having trouble breathing.

''Are you alright? Did I say something wrong?'' Sookie looked worried.

When Delphine was finally brought back to reality, she tried her hardest to smile. ''Oh it's nothing. I'm just getting a small headache. I'll be right back, I'll just get some aspirin.'' She got up and went to the small bathroom on the first floor.

Delphine couldn't keep in the tears and started sobbing in silence. That's what had happened to him. He had been captured by the Fellowship of the Sun? Why hadn't she been told? Delphine slid to the floor and put her hand between her knees. She had never felt this sick before. She stayed like that for about a minute and then heard the doorbell ring.

She opened the nathroom door and wiped the tears on her cheeks. Sookie came out of the dining room. ''Are you okay? I'll get the door.''

''No no. I'm fine. I'll get it.'' Delphine made her way to the front door with Sookie behind her. When she opened the door, Sookie gasped. The man standing on her front porch was tall. He was, for a lack of better word, stunning. But he also looked dangerous.

''Eric?'' Sookie was now next to Delphine. ''What are you doing here?''

Bill had heard Sookie and was by their side in a second. ''Eric.'' The word came out sounding more like a growl than anything else.

Delphine backed up. '' You know him? Who is he?'' she was confused and had no idea what to do.

''Yes, we know him.'' Sookie turned back to the man named Eric. ''What do you want Eric?''

Eric frowned. ''I would ask you to stay polite but I know it would be useless. Hello Bill. Nice to see you again.''

His voice was cold and his eyes were even worse. Delphine felt like her whole body was frozen in place when he looked at her. But she couldn't look away from him.

''That's enough Eric.'' Bill had taken a step towards him. ''Why are you here?''

Eric looked from Bill and back to Delphine. '' I was wondering if I could have a word with your new neighbour.''

At that, Sookie and Bill turned to stare at Delphine and she started to feel more and more dizzy. This was too much at the same time.

* * *

**Ohho! :) What kind of trouble did Delphine get herself into? Next chapter comming soon. Please R&R!**


	4. Flicker

**Sorry about the long wait. I'm working 6 days a week and long hours. There is barely time to sleep and eat. ;) Please R&R!**

Ch. 4 Flicker

The room finally stopped spinning and Delphine blinked hard before forcing herself to look at the man named Eric. She had never met anyone so intimidating before but she could feel waves of emotions rolling off of him and she knew she had nothing to fear. He wouldn't harm her. She passed a hand through her hair and took a step towards the door. She hadn't invited him in and she wasn't about too. The step she took was enough for Bill to understand her intentions and he put himself in front of her and faced Eric.

''Eric.'' He started. But the tall blond man waved him off with a flip of his hand.

''Enough. I won't harm her. I simply want to talk.'' He extended his hand for Delphine to take and this time she did not hesitate and took it. The smile on his lips was smug and almost predatory. When he arched his eyebrow at Bill, Delphine felt goosebumps rise on her arms but with a gentle tug on her hand she was following him out the door.

He let go of her hand once they had made it down the steps of the front porch and they walked for about a minute and neither of them said anything. A look back at the house confirmed that Sookie and Bill had gone back inside but Delphine was sure they were watching from somewhere and when she looked up she saw the curtains of the second floor move. At least someone was watching out for her.

When they had made it halfway to the path leading to the street, Eric stopped under one of the willows and turned back to her.

''Do you know who I am?''

Delphine was taken aback. What did he expect from her? She had only met the man. ''I'm sorry. I don't think we've ever met. Am I supposed to know you?''

''My name is Eric Northman.'' He cocked his head and stood in front of her, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Delphine gasped. Of course she knew him. ''Eric Northman? Sheriff of area 5?''

He didn't acknowledge her question but raised an eyebrow again. Delphine took it as a yes. She took another step closer to him and he stood still. ''I know who you are. I've heard a lot about you.'' She dropped her head. '' I'm very sorry for your loss. He was your maker wasn't he?''

The only answer she got from him was a rough ''Yes.'' And he turned away from her.

'' I've heard about you too… vaguely. I still have no idea who you are.'' His voice seemed angry, almost possessive and Delphine was curious.

''What have you heard? Did he tell you?''

''No. Godric never talked about you directly. At least that's what I've heard. I hadn't seen him for years before he was taken by the Fellowship.'' He only turned his head halfway around and Delphine had to walk to face him again.

''What did you hear?''

''That you were special to him. But he never claimed you… or tasted you.'' His words made Delphine feel uneasy and she stared at her shoes for a second.

''What makes you so special, that I have no idea. But he apparently was adamant on protecting you because here you are.''

Delphine frowned. ''What do mean 'here you are'? ''

''I mean, there is no way that you'd still be alive if you've been around vampires smelling so delicious if Godric hadn't protected you.''

Delphine couldn't do anything but stare at Eric. ''What? But it's like you said. He never claimed me. I was fair game… how is that protecting me?''

Eric scoffed. ''Godric didn't need to claim you. People just knew, that's all. They wouldn't dare mess with someone as strong as him. Which brings me to my next question: Why you?''

''Why me what?'' Delphine didn't feel like talking about her story so she stalled even if she knew that Eric probably saw right through her game.

He advanced and towered over her menacingly. ''Tell me.''

Delphine finally gave in and sighed. ''It's a long story.''

'' Well, you're lucky, because I have nothing but free time.''

If she was about to pour her heart out here, Delphine wasn't about to do it standing in the middle of the path. She sat down and put her back against the willow. '' I was 18 when I met him. I left this club back when I was in Dallas and I was walking home. Two guys had followed me out of the club and I only realised that when I was alone about a block from my place. Long story short, next thing I know, one of them grabs me by the arm and drags me on the side of a building. It was dark and I could barely see the two guys but they beat me up pretty bad and then one of them tried to take off my blouse while the other one had his hand over my mouth so I couldn't scream. Seconds later, I was pushed aside, and I could hear these awful screams. The only thing I saw was a shadow but when the screams stopped, Godric was there. I couldn't move because both my legs were broken and I could barely breathe but when I woke up hours later, I was in an apartment and I was completely healed.''

Delphine swore Eric's eyes had become darker when he heard the last sentence. '' He gave you his blood?''

She frowned. ''Yes. You seem surprise.''

He regained control of his emotions at once and his expression was unreadable again. ''It's just not the kind of thing that Godric did.''

''Well, he did. And the rest is history. We became friends; we were very close until the Fellowship screwed it all up. End of story.''

''Still haven't answered my question. Why you?''

Delphine was angry and she got up. ''I don't know why me!''

He stared her down. '' Tell me.''

That was it. He was trying to glamour her. She pushed him with all her strength but he barely took a step back. ''STOP IT! That crap doesn't work on me!''

Eric finally smiled and it was the scariest thing that she had ever seen. ''Interesting. What are you?''

''Enough.'' She walked away. ''I've had enough. Stay away from me.''

But the vampire wasn't about to let her go. In half a second he was in front of her and grabbed her arm so tight that Delphine winced.'' What are you that Godric wanted to protect so badly?''

''NOTHING!'' she tried to pull herself free and wondered why Bill or Sookie wasn't here already. They must have heard her. But when she turned around she realised that they were a lot farther from the house that she had thought and Eric had dragged her behind a tree.

Struggling to get out of his hold was useless and she stopped squirming because it only made him hold on tighter. She was almost pressed against his chest and she couldn't feel any warmth even through his thin white t-shirt. Vampires…

'' Do you know what he told me before he died? He told me to find you. WHY?'' Eric shook her and Delphine's eyes widened.

''You were there?''

His jaw clenched tighter. ''Yes.''

''Tell me!'' She struggled harder and didn't care about the pain anymore. ''TELL ME what happened to him.'' She started crying. ''Please.''

His words were dry and harsh. ''The sun.''

Her legs gave from under her and Eric had to grab her waist to prevent her from falling on the grass. ''No!'' she cried for a couple of minutes until her body stopped shaking. By then, she had crawled a couple of feet away from Eric who was still crouching down and staring at her. ''He had talked about it before you know. Just some stupid comments he made sometimes. We'd stay out until the sun was about to come up and he'd say how he didn't remember what it felt like to be in the sun and how it would be an incredible experience to feel it again. But we'd just laugh it off and go back inside you know. I never thought…''

Delphine was too hurt to finish her sentence.

Eric came closer and crouched again. ''I know you think this is something that you had to keep between you and Godric but one of the last thing he told me was to find you. You can imagine my surprise when I found you here.''

Delphine knew she had to tell him.

''What are you?'' he said. This time his tone was a little gentler and less commanding.

''He's the only one who knew about it. That's why he didn't want me to go around and tell everyone. He said he was protecting me.''

''Tell me. ''

''I don't know what I am. I just know that since I am very young I can do things. ''

''Like what?''

''I see people's auras. Their life force if you want. It's a halo we have around us all the time. I instantly know if someone has good or bad intentions, what they're feeling and a little of what they're thinking. I get flashes when people have very strong emotions.'' She stared at her shoes the entire time and when she looked up, Eric's expression hadn't changed.

''That's not all is it?''

How did he know? Delphine frowned. ''I can control emotions.''

''How?''

''I- I don't know! I know that I can influence the emotion of everyone around me just by thinking it and Godric didn't want people to know because he said that I would get into a lot of trouble.'' The last sentence came out all at once and Eric didn't say anything. He stood up and stared at her.

Delphine stayed on the ground and waited for him to say something. And reached and grabbed her arm before pulling her to her feet. '' I'll take you back to the house.''

She followed him and he muttered something that sound like good evening before he disappeared so fast that Delphine barely had time to blink.

That was definitely not the kind of evening that she wanted to have again.


End file.
